Forbidden and Wrong
by notthyfriend
Summary: COMPLETE. As the mob hunts Hermione following her lover's death, she resolves to tell their story. 'Ginny was beautiful...'
1. Prologue

She sat down at the desk, silent tears marring her perfect face. They were coming for her. She knew it. And soon they would find the entrance to this hidden room. Slowly, she opened the drawer at her right and removed a pen and a blank book. The shield charm she'd put up would hold out even after they found her, but not forever. The mob would bring about her end, she knew, but they she would not let them harm her until she had first told their story.  
She opened the book to its creamy white first page. She felt the grain of the paper, admired its soft texture. But there was no time. She uncapped her pen and spilled forth the truth. Her lover had been murdered, and she herself was next. But the pair would not go in silence. Slowly, Hermione's hand formed the words: "Ginny was beautiful..."


	2. From the First Day

Ginny was beautiful. I thought so from the first day I met her back at the Burrow. It was summer, I was eleven, and I happened to be infatuated with her brother at the time. Ron was blundering and thickheaded, not at all right for me, but try to convince an eleven-year-old lovesick girl of that and you won't get too far. But even though I felt nothing for her at the time, I vividly remember climbing out of my parent's car, seeing Ginny in the yard, and thinking, "Wow, Ron's sister is lovely."

It was a fleeting thought; driven from my mind almost instantly when I was knocked over as Ron, Fred, and George all slammed into me at once, trying to make a big show of my arrival. I must admit I forgot about her almost entirely. My mind was too full of "important" things, much too important to share with a mere ten-year-old, even if I was sharing a room with her.

We didn't really become friends until my third year at Hogwarts. Ginny had been spending the summer recovering from her traumatic first year and was starting to show advanced maturity. We forged a friendship one night in the common room over butterbeers and a few homework tips. Until about halfway through my fourth year, we became like best friends. There were always Ron and Harry, but neither of us could get the same things from our friendships with them than we could with each other. They were only boys, after all.

But one day at lunch, I noticed Ginny seemed distant. She was picking at her food, and I kept catching her staring at me, then looking away when she saw me looking back. For the time, I decided not to say anything. She mellowed out a week or so later and I shrugged it off as some phase. In her fourth year she got her first boyfriend. She seemed happy with him, and we all had our hands full with the D.A. anyway. Then one day, she came to me in the common room, in tears.

"What's wrong, Gin?" I asked, getting her a chair.

"Michael and I broke up," she said through her sobs.

"Oh, Gin, I'm sorry," I said. "Do you want to talk about it?"

She nodded. "But not here. Can we go to your dorm?"

"Sure," I replied. She followed me up the stairs and through the door marked 'Fifth years'. The dorm was empty, most of the students were still at dinner. We sat down on the edge of my four-poster bed. She toyed with a loose thread on the neat crimson bedspread and said nothing. After a few moments I decided to break the silence. "So, what happened between you and Michael?"

"Nothing," she said quietly, wiping at her tears.

"I thought you said you'd broken up," I replied, confused.

"We _did _break up. That's why. He broke up with me because I never would kiss him or let him put his arm around me or anything. He said he thought I wanted to be with Harry because I would hang out with you guys more than with him."

"I'm sorry," I said again. I couldn't think of anything else. "He should trust you more than that, though," I added.

"But he was right. Well, half right. I do want to be with someone else, that's why I hang out with you guys all the time, but it isn't Harry," Gin said slowly, her eyes on the floor.

"I don't understand, Ginny..."

"Yes you do, you must!" she objected, snapping up her head to look at me. I looked at her eyes and the anguish I saw in them startled me. "It's you Hermione, it's always been!" At that, she stood up and ran from the room, flinging the dormitory door open as she left. I stared at the door swinging wildly, and her words began to sink in. "It's you, Hermione..."


	3. Shock

I watched the door continue to swing wildly for another moment before numbly walking to it and catching it to a stop. Slowly, I closed it again and retuned to my bed, sitting for fear that my legs would soon cease to support me. 'Ginny loves...me?' my brain asked itself.

"But how?" I asked aloud. Lavender and Parvati entered then, chatting.

"Did you say something, Hermione?" Lavender asked.

"No," I replied, hardly able to articulate sounds. "Nothing."

"Did you see Ginny? She looks awfully upset," Parvati asked. She didn't seem to expect a reply, so I didn't offer one. I needed to be alone.

"I think I'll go to the library." Somehow I forced my legs to carry me down the stairs, past the common room, and to the library. Old habits die hard, I guess, and I was used to going there to clear my head anyway. I pulled a random book off the shelf to keep Madam Pince from kicking me out for loitering.

I opened the book to a random page and sat down, staring at the words with unseeing eyes. How could this have happened? Ginny couldn't love me! She wanted Harry for so long, and then when she had finally moved on, she had seemed so happy. No, it was impossible.

'But that's not true, now, is it?' said a nagging, taunting voice somewhere in the back of my head. I started to think harder. What about all those times I'd catch her looking at me, and just ignore it? There had been signs for ages now. It was so obvious once I permitted myself to see it.

But where does that leave me? I can't just ignore her; I'd never do that to a friend. I thought for awhile. In the end, I decided to explain to Ginny that we simply couldn't be. I stood up to find her, and was suddenly filled with immense sadness. I sank back into my chair. Why couldn't I move? Ginny and I could never be together. No one would accept it.

'Is that really the reason?' that nagging voice asked again. 'You're afraid.' But afraid of what? She would be sad, I knew, but she was resilient, and she'd recover, whether or not our friendship did. Was that it? Was I afraid to lose her? Yes, that was it. But it was more than that, too. I felt my thoughts stray to Ginny. I thought of her perfect mahogany eyes, her hair the way it looked when the sun caught it. And that laughing smile. When I thought I might not see her smile at me again, a part of me wanted to die.

Then, suddenly, the last piece of the puzzle fell into place. I leaped from my chair and ran from the library, ignoring Madame Pince's angry shrieks following me down the hall. By the time I'd reached the Gryffendor common room, I had to wait several moments to catch my breath before I could say the password. When I managed to crawl through the portrait hole, I headed immediately up the stairs to the fourth year girls' dormitory. I steeled myself and opened the door quickly before I had a chance to chicken out.

"Ginny?" I asked. She was the only one in the room. She forced herself to look at me. I could tell she'd been crying. "Ginny, I..."

"What?" she demanded angrily. I was surprised.

"I, uhh..."

"Just get it over with!" she yelled shakily.

"I... I want to be with you, too."


	4. Relief

Ginny's eyes welled up with tears again, but this time they were tears of joy and relief, of love. Laughing and crying simultaneously, she rose from her bed and crossed the few feet between us. "I love you," she whispered, and then pressed her lips against mine. I marveled at their softness, and the tenderness I'd been longing to feel for so long without even knowing it. I reveled in the taste of her tears, still falling unchecked from her eyes.

Finally I forced myself to push her away before I suffocated. Breathing hard, I stared into Ginny's deep mahogany eyes. In them I saw a hundred thousand times more joy and love than the amount of grief that had been there only moments before. I could have fallen into those beautiful eyes, swum in them and drowned without complaint, anything to be near her forever.

Before I knew what was happening, Ginny's soft, dexterous hands were roaming my body. We sat down on her four-poster, still rumpled from when she'd been crying. She drew the hangings closed around us, and I remember thinking that there was no way that this could be happening, but that it seemed to fit. I pulled out my wand and muttered "Impervio," charming them so as not to let any sounds venture out from Ginny's dark and cozy bed. I turned back to Ginny, feeling some concern. "Gin, are you sure about this? We don't have to do anything you aren't ready for."

"I trust you, 'Mione," was her only response. Her lips found mine again. This time was less urgent than before, but just as passionate. I felt her tongue tentatively probe my lips. I parted them, allowing her tongue to enter my mouth and explore it. Her explorations led her to my palate, and I giggled, accidentally biting her tongue.

"Ouch!" she exclaimed. "What was that for?" I regretted breaking the mood, but I didn't mind too much.

"I'm sorry," I said, still giggling. "That tickled, that's all." She laughed as well, then reclined, lying with her head on a pillow, looking up at me.

"Hermione?"

"Hmm?" I half-lost in my overwhelming emotions. Ginny smiled at me, but her expression then turned serious.

"Hermione, what are we going to do? I'm in love with you, and if you feel the same way, I couldn't be happier; but we can't exactly go ringing the bells about it, can we? Ron would kill us both. My brothers are good people, but they're so protective. And it's not just them. Anyone we told would feed us to the wolves." She was right. Always so practical, Ginny.

I lay down beside her, thinking hard. In wizard society, purebloods held the power, and all those generations of clinging to the old ways had made them extremists. They were easily swayed to hate, but never to acceptance. Just look at the power Voldemort had had to influence the Death Eaters. To them, men carried on the family legacy, and women gave them the sons to do so. If anything was more threatening to them than Muggles, it was homosexuality.

"I think you're right," I said, reluctantly coming to reason and reality. "But now that I know how I really feel about you, I could never give you up."

"Neither could I," she smiled, then sighed. "I can't live without you knowing you want me, too. But we'll have to stay a secret if we're to be together."

"I don't mind keeping secrets. I'll do anything to stay with you. Besides," I said, a mischievous smile crossing my face. "Secrets are something you can have to yourself. I don't think I'd mind having you to myself at all." I said, kissing her again. Her response was immediate; I could almost feel the relief in her kiss.

"Ginny?" I mumbled against her lips, not wanting to break the kiss.

"What is it?"

"Can we just sleep now?" As happy as I was, the emotional strain of the day was too much. I was exhausted.

"That's fine. I'm tired, too." She snuggled up beside me, her backside against my stomach and chest. I put my arms around her and buried my face in her hair. The last thing I remember doing was thinking to myself that this was too good to be true. But she was there nonetheless, in my arms. I snuggled closer to her and, listening to her rhythmic breathing, I fell asleep.

**Thanks to my reviewers, you rock! I'm sorry if this chapter didn't have enough action, but it's on the way. More reviews, please!**


	5. Plans & Darkness

I awoke the next morning still in Ginny's bed. We had shifted during the night. I rolled over and watched her sleeping. She'd never changed out of her school clothes the night before, so they were rumpled and askew. As I watched her chest slowly rise and fall, I couldn't believe how perfect she was. She was so beautiful, so smart, so caring. And she loved me.

I reached over and traced the line of her jaw with the tip of my index finger. She stirred, but did not wake. Her skin was so smooth and creamy. I knew she was self-conscious about her freckles, but to me they were just another part of her. They contributed to her perfection. I rolled over again onto my back and sighed contentedly. I remembered the silencing charm I'd put on the bed the night before and started to remove it, but I stopped. It was a Saturday, we could sleep in. And if anyone questioned her, Ginny could claim to have been upset about Michael, and had wanted to be alone. I smiled. Or maybe just with me.

I looked over to see Ginny stirring. Slowly, she opened her eyes. I watched her pupils adjust to the dimly lit space within the bed hangings. "Morning," I said softly.

"Morning, 'Mione." She smiled at me, then yawned and stretched. I remembered from all of my stays at the Burrow that Ginny wasn't much of a morning person. I watched her rub the sleep from her eyes, then groan and pull the covers over her head. "Do we have to get up?"

I laughed. "No, we don't have to get up," I assured her. "But you do have to take the covers off of your head." I reached up and pulled them down again. God, was she beautiful! Even with tangled hair and eyes half-open, she was the most beautiful creature imaginable.

"Is this really happening?" she asked me. "Are you really here with me, in my bed? Did last night happen, or was I dreaming it all?"

"Oh, I certainly hope it's really happening. I don't know what I'd do if I woke up and found out you were still with Michael. I couldn't bear it if you didn't love me." For an instant, I felt a shock of fear at the thought of losing her. I'd only been aware of it for a few hours now, but my love for her was stronger than I'd ever imagined possible. She reached over and touched my cheek, and all my fears evaporated. She was here with me now.

"I love you," she whispered. She leaned over and kissed me, lightly, on the lips.

"I love you, too. I don't know what to do, though. Once word gets out that you and Michael broke up, the whole school will be after you. You can't stay 'single' forever without people asking questions." Ginny smiled.

"What is a girl to do?" she asked sarcastically. "I went out with Michael because I didn't want anyone to see how much I wanted to be with you. I guess if I had another boyfriend, no one would suspect I had... other interests," she said coyly. I laughed, but I was troubled. I didn't want to have to watch her with anyone else.

"Gin, I don't know. I mean, I couldn't stand to see you... kissing... anyone else...and..." I struggled to put my thoughts into words without sounding possessive, or as though I didn't trust her. But I think she could read my thoughts.

"I would never, ever, want to be with anyone else but you, Hermione, I only meant that it might... help things a little bit, you know? We don't have to do it." I immediately felt bad for feeling so jealous. She'd had a good point. If Ginny had a boyfriend, she and I could do anything we liked. No one would ever think we were more than just good friends. I sighed.

"No, Gin you're right. It's a good cover-up. Now all we need is a guy who won't get too suspicious. Someone trusting, and a dash of stupid would certainly help." I considered all of the guys in the school that I knew. "It's too bad Ron's related to you, he's perfect!" I mused. Ginny laughed aloud.

"Harry might work," she suggested.

"No," I said. "He's too wrapped up in Cho Chang to remember you exist for the next few weeks or so."

"Well let's not do this now. I can't have a new boyfriend the day after I broke it off with Michael anyway. Let's just wait for someone to show an interest or something, okay? Besides, why do _I _have to be the one with a beau, and not you?"

"Because no one wants me, that's why."

"Yes they do! I do!" she objected. I had to laugh.

"Maybe, but no one knows that, now do they?"

"Fine, fine. What about Krum? No one can claim that a world-famous Quidditch champion took you to the Yule Ball 'just as friends'."

"That's true," I conceded. "But I never felt the same way he did. And he's in Bulgaria." I thought about him for a moment. "He still asks me to visit him, you know?"

"Are you trying to make me jealous?" Ginny asked, one eyebrow raised.

"That depends, is it working?"

"Of course. Now you're going to run away to Bulgaria to live happily ever after on the back of a Firebolt and leave me here to date a clone of my brother!" she whined facetiously.

"Well, in the meantime, let's go down to breakfast. I'm sure everyone's wondering where we are."

At breakfast it was all I could do not to kiss Ginny every time I looked at her. She was telling Parvati about her breakup with Michael. We'd hoped to keep it quiet, but since Lavender and she had noticed Ginny crying, and the fact that I never came to bed, Ginny decided to tell her about the breakup and that I'd stayed with her to make her feel better. It was the only story that would prevent awkward questions.

After about a half hour, we finished eating and stood up to leave the Great Hall. On the way out, Dean stopped us and asked Ginny if he could talk to her for a moment. Before he pulled Ginny aside, I gave her an "I-told-you-so" look and told her to meet me in the common room.

She clambered in through the portrait hole about ten minutes later, smiling. She scanned the common room and found me sitting at a table against the windows. She crossed to me and sat before saying, "I guess we have our decoy boyfriend."

"I told you it wouldn't take very long."

* * *

Before we knew it, Harry had suddenly figured out the clues in his visions, and we were storming the Ministry of Magic looking for Sirius. As much as I wanted to run to Ginny and tend to her cut and bleeding cheek, I steeled myself to focus on the task ahead. Even when I tried to make her stay at the school, she steadfastly refused, and mounted a thestral alongside the rest of us. If she was hurt, I'd die, but I knew deep down that she was strong and that the more of us there were, the better.

When we were crammed together in the telephone booth, the nearness of Ginny's body soothed my fears and brought me courage I never knew I had. I reached over and held onto her hand mutely, looking into her eyes as we slid down into the ground. I didn't think about it at the time, but if anyone had seen us that way, under any other circumstances, it'd be very awkward to explain; but in this situation, where our lives were on the line, it would be seen as nothing more than a small gesture of consolation.

When cornered by the Death Eaters, as I transmitted Harry's order to smash the shelves to Ginny, I also whispered a message of my own. "No matter what, I will be waiting for you after this. I love you," I hissed quickly into her ear. And then, suddenly, everyone was running and screaming and curses flew everywhere. Once Harry, Neville, and I had managed to seal a door between us and the Death Eaters, I realized, too late, that Ginny and I had been separated.

"Where- where are the others?" Harry gasped.

"They must have gone the wrong way," I whispered, terrified beyond imagination. We could hear Malfoy shouting instructions at the Death Eaters, but all I cared about was making my way back to Ginny. The three of us slunk silently to the exit. We dove under desks when two of the Death Eaters followed us, and the next thing I knew, a wand was aimed at my face and a cold voice was uttering the killing curse.

For an instant time stopped, and only after Harry had lost his wand to Neville's ill-advised disarming spell did I realize that I was still alive, that I might still be able to see Ginny again. Recharged, I leapt up and stunned a Death Eater trying to do the same to Harry. The Death Eater fell into the bell jar, where time began its deadly dance, transforming his head, back and forth through time. I summoned Harry's wand, returned it to him, and began to run. A crash and a scream reminded me that Ginny was still unaccounted for, and I ran for it.

Death Eaters caught up with us again, and before we could elude them I was thrown into a bookshelf. I silenced one Death eater, but then I was almost instantly cursed by him. Purple flame slashed across my chest, and everything went black.

* * *

**So, this is a semi-cliffy, since you technically know what happens next. However, I think it was important to show this from Hermione's point of view. But a new chapter is already in the making, so keep reading.**


	6. Aftermath

I awoke in the hospital wing with Ginny snoozing in a chair beside my bed. I tried to sit up, but my gasp of pain alerted Madame Pomfrey that I had awoken.

"Lie back down at once!" she snapped, bustling over to me. "You've been through a great deal and I won't have you overexerting yourself!" She proceeded to look me over, then made me take an endless assortment of bitter potions before she was satisfied that I was well enough to be allowed to be propped up on pillows. When she'd finally crossed to look over the other patients –I was relieved to find that Ron, Harry, Luna, and Neville were all accounted for- I looked over at Ginny.

She was hugging her knees, sobbing silently and rocking back and forth. "Gin?" I whispered.

"Oh Hermione, I was so worried about you!" she choked. I saw you and you were knocked out and we couldn't wake you up, and, and..." she broke off, crying loudly.

"I'm okay, Ginny, look, I'm fine," I croaked. "What about you?"

"Broken ankle, that's all. Nothing Madame Pomfrey couldn't fix right away." She looked so scared. "I was so sure I was going to lose you, Hermione..." She flung herself at me; hugging me so hard I could barely breathe, crying on my shoulder.

"Stop that, Miss Weasley, there'll be time for that when she's well!" Madame Pomfrey chastised from across the room. I swear that woman could see through an iron wall if necessary to check on a patient. Laughing slightly, Ginny pulled away and dragged her chair closer to my bed. She blew her nose and wiped away her tears, then took my hand in hers.

"Ginny, what happened after I... went out?" I asked, fearing the answer. Her face darkened. She told me about Dumbledore's appearance, Harry fighting Bellatrix, the fountain, everything. When she told me about Sirius's death, I started to cry a little. I knew how much Sirius meant to Harry, and knew he must have been crushed to lose him. When she finished, I asked her about the others.

"Harry, Luna, and Neville were hurt the least. You and Ron were the only ones that were still unconscious this morning. Ron got attacked by a brain -long story- and he's still out, but Madame Pomfrey says he'll be fine. Harry's had a tough time of it though. Lot's of dreamless sleep potion."

"I'd imagine so. Poor guy." I tried to say more, but Madame Pomfrey shooed Ginny out of the room then, telling her I needed more sleep.

"I'll come back later, 'Mione, I promise," she said as the door shut behind her.

The next day an owl brought me the latest _Daily Prophet_, and I read it aloud to Luna, Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Neville. Luna wasn't listening, but it didn't matter. Ginny was curled up at the foot of my bed, trying to tickle my feet unobtrusively. Ron and I were healing well, and everyone else seemed as though they'd never been hurt in the first place. I noticed Harry seemed reserved, but no one thought this was unusual, considering the circumstances.

The Ministry and the _Prophet_ were finally acknowledging the Dark Lord's return, and had ceased to act as though Harry was insane. But then again, what else could they do? The six of us joked about Umbridge, then talked about Fred and George's shop, and eventually about what'd happened at the Ministry that night.

Finally, about three days later, Madame Pomfrey let Ron and me leave the hospital wing. Ginny and Harry had visited us every day, but I was still stifled with boredom and grateful to leave. There were only three days of term left. I went to see Ginny, meaning to surprise her. She wasn't in the common room, though. I asked another fourth year girl, and she said she'd seen her in their dormitory. I made my way up the stairs and knocked on her dormitory door.

"Gin? It's me, Hermione," I called. The door flew open, and Ginny yanked me inside.

"Hermione! You're out of the hospital wing!" she cried. She shut the door behind me and threw her arms around me neck, crushing my lips with hers. I gasped in pain when she accidentally rubbed against my ribs. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" she said. "I forgot, it was an accident, are you okay?" she asked, backing away. I was forced to laugh.

"It's fine, really, I'm getting much better. It's just still a little tender is all," I explained, watching her grow relieved. "Can we sit down?" I asked.

"Sure," she said, clearing the half-packed clothes from her bed. I sat down gingerly beside her, unsure of what to say now that I was there.

"So... how's Harry?" I asked. "He hasn't been talking much in the hospital wing."

"He's fine," Ginny replied, visibly disappointed. "I don't really want to talk about that now," she said. "Don't get me wrong, I mean, I care about Harry, I just..."

"I know, Gin, it's okay," I assured her. "I don't really want to talk about Harry either." She smiled, and scooted back so that her feet were no longer dangling off the edge of the bed, and pulled the hangings closed.

She leaned forward and kissed me again, more gently. I parted my lips when she probed with her tongue, trying very hard not to giggle like I had the first time. I put my arms around her neck, pulling her closer to me, and ran my fingers through her wavy red hair. I felt her reach around me and start to pull gently on my robes. I leaned forward slightly, allowing her to pull them up and over my head. She removed my shirt as well, then stopped, staring at me.

"God, you're beautiful," she whispered.

* * *

**_Important Note:_** **The original ending to this chapter was removed on 1/2/2006.** The story can be found in its original form at AdultFanFiction .net or you can email me and I'll send you the missing chapter. 


	7. Separating

I awoke in Ginny's bed. It was the last day of school, and I remember wanting to stay forever beside her. She was awake, watching me. Seeing me open my eyes, she smiled. "How are you?" she asked.

"Never been better," I replied, stifling a yawn. I watched the late-morning sunlight streaming in from a crack in the bed hangings dance on Ginny's bare shoulder. Memories of the previous night's explorations slithered into my sleep-fogged mind, and a smile crawled across my face. "How did you sleep?" I asked. "You must've been exhausted," I added teasingly.

"Oh, only a little," she returned with mock coolness. She just wanted to see me pout. I didn't take the bait, and she continued. "After all, we only went once or twice…"

"It was more than that and you know it!" I declared, pretending to be angry.

"Was it?" I hit her playfully with my pillow. She snatched it away from me. "Ha! Now you have to go without and I get two!" she declared, hiding it behind her back. I reached around her, trying to snatch it back. She laughed, and moved it from hand to hand, keeping it away from me. I laughed in spite of myself. My lips found hers and kissed her softly. I felt her relax, and snatched the pillow away when she wasn't paying attention.

"Hey! That's cheating!"

"Come and get it then!" I scrambled away from her, trying to find a robe or a shirt so I could exit the bed hangings without facing any awkward questions from the other fourth years. Finally I found Ginny's bathrobe and I donned it before she could catch up with me, running out of the dorm into the showers, still carrying the ransomed pillow.

The game continued for another quarter of an hour or so before I gave up. I wanted a shower. I must admit I was disappointed when she didn't join me, but she needed to finish packing for the train ride home. I, of course, had finished an entire day in advance, being the overachieving queen of school. "Don't worry, I'll see you before we even get on the train," she assured me.

So I showered alone, thinking. I felt the water trace its way down my body, and remembered the way Ginny's hands had done the same. I thought about home, and Ginny, and school, and Ginny, and Ron and Harry, and then I thought about Ginny some more. Would we really have to stay a secret? Yes. At least we would if we lived in the wizarding world. If we were ever to go public, very few wizards would be accepting, even muggle-borns. Peer pressure is a powerful thing. Even I knew that I had changed since I began spending nine months per year surrounded on all sides be wizards and wizard ideals. No, only in certain parts of the muggle world would we have a chance.

So, we had a choice. Live forever in secret or live as muggles. Neither sounded very appealing. I felt my heart sink. Why did everything have to be so black and white? Why could the world just wake up and catch up with itself? But, I told myself, you're not even sixteen yet. Now is not the time to be agonizing over your life's future. Ginny was with me, we were in love, and I intended to treasure that as long as fate would permit me.

Riding home on the train was the most difficult trip I could ever remember taking. My brain was telling me a thousand contradicting things at once. I wanted to touch her but couldn't; I wanted to cry because I was leaving her but sing because she was with me at the moment. She certainly seemed to be handling it better than I was. Ron and Harry were distracting themselves by immersing in a game of wizard chess. As I was coming out of my hundredth mental replay of the previous night, I heard Ron asking Harry about Cho Chang.

"Who's she with now, anyway?" he asked me. Ginny answered for me.

"Michael Corner."

"Michael- but- but weren't you going out with him?" Ron asked her. Ginny went of on some spiel about Quidditch, and Ron, wearing a sickeningly delighted expression, said, "Well, I always thought he was a bit of an idiot. Good for you. Just choose someone… better… next time."

No one but I saw Ginny smile at me before saying, "Well, I've chosen Dean Thomas, would you say he's better?"

At the train station, I hugged Ginny fiercely as her father greeted my parents. "I'll see you this summer, won't I?" I asked, blinking back tears.

"Of course you will," she replied, her shaking voice betraying her false confidence. I stared at her a moment longer, then leaned forward, giving her a light peck on the cheek. Nothing anyone would suspect as more than a platonic gesture between best friends.

"I'll write to you the instant I get home, Ok?" I said. She merely nodded, struggling with herself. A single tear traced its way down her cheek. I placed my hand on the side of her face, and wiped the tear away with my thumb. I hugged her close to me and whispered, almost inaudibly, "I love you." Then, I turned away from her, unable to look at her for fear I would explode.

"I love you, too," I heard her whisper from behind me. I paused, looked over my shoulder, and smiled weakly. I turned away again, said my goodbyes to everyone else, and followed my waiting parents to the car.

**Sorry it took me so long to update, I got a bit of writer's block. But I'm back, please keep reveiwing!**


	8. Summer

Summer was the first time Ginny and I were truly separated since that first night we spent together. We wrote as many as two letters a day, and we would have written more if my owl could've flown faster. I wanted so desperately to go to the Burrow, but my parents wouldn't hear of it. "You saw your friends every day for the last nine months, you can stand to be without them for a few more weeks."

One day, I felt so tired of waiting to see Ginny, I decided to see if I could take my mind off her for an entire day. I tried books and homework, even cleaning, but nothing helped. Finally, I ventured into our attic in search of something to busy myself with. Maybe mother had old photo albums or love letters I could absorb myself in.

I rifled through the dusty boxes, but found nothing of interest. I was about to give up when I encountered a box labeled "Hermione – Hogwarts". Puzzled, I pried off the lid and picked up the first thing I found. It was a letter I'd written at the end of last year reminding mum and dad of the time the Hogwarts Express would be arriving. "I didn't know mum was keeping my school things," I murmured. Continuing my search, I found a few old tests, a certificate announcing the number of O.W.L.s I'd received, my old supply lists, and every letter I'd ever sent home. At the very bottom of the box, I found a torn and dusty envelope containing my acceptance letter.

I sat back on the dirty floor, amazed at the memories assaulting me. Had it really been five years since I'd discovered that everything I knew about the world was incomplete; that there really is magic everywhere for those who know where to look? I picked up a letter, the first I'd ever written home.

_Dearest Mum and Dad,_

_Hogwarts is amazing. It is the most wonderful place I've ever been. The professors are brilliant, and there is so much here to read and learn. I'm doing very well with my studies even with the new environment._

_Do you remember what I told you about Harry Potter? How he brought about the end of the most evil wizard in history? Well, you never believe it, but he goes to school here! We're in the same year and the same house, so we have every class together. He's not so amazing as he sounds in the books. I suppose I wasn't expecting him to be so… human._

_All of Hogwarts is like that. It's so different, but so much like the normal world as well. Students are lazy; teachers are strict, and so on. So many of them have no regard for the rules whatsoever. It's appalling, some of the things they do, especially Harry Potter and his friends. Anyway, I must go now, there's some extra reading I want to do, but I love you, and I will write again after Halloween._

_Kisses, Hermione_

So much had changed since then. Harry, Ron, and I had become friends, and I'd learned that rules were not always so important. And I'd met Ginny… I shook my head to clear it. "Boy was I uptight then," I mused to myself.

"Hermione? Is that you, dear? Where are you?"

"I'm here in the attic, mum," I shouted. My mother's footsteps sounded on the attic stairs, and her head appeared over the floorboards.

"What are you doing up here? Not doing spells I hope, that's not allowed," she teased. I sighed inwardly. Was my attitude so predictable that the idea of me breaking rules was laughable? "Oh, I see you've found the school boxes. I've been keeping everything from that school. Is that why you came up here?" she asked.

"No, I was just looking for old things. Photo albums, things like that."

"Ahh. No, we don't really have many things from when your father and I were young. That's why I keep so much of your things, because I always missed having memorabilia." My mother was drifting into her own memories.

"So you don't have any old love letters that Dad wrote you or anything?" I asked.

"No, your father never wrote me any. We met at a dentist's office when I was interning; and we didn't date for very long before getting engaged."

"So, you don't have any love letters at all?" It made me sad to think that she didn't have anything to look back at. But she never answered my question.

"Hermione, why are you so keen to go to your friends' house? And why are you suddenly so interested in love letters? Are you-" An odd sort of smile crossed her face. "Do you have a boyfriend waiting for you there?" she asked suddenly.

I didn't know how to answer. I didn't want to tell the truth, but sixteen years of habit made lying to my parents difficult at best. I blushed and looked at my shoes. "I see," my mother said, interpreting my reluctance to answer as shyness. "Well, then. We'd better get you over there then, haven't we?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I looked at her, searching for the catch.

"Oh, don't look at me that way. I was a young girl once. We've had you with us for most of your life. I want to see you grow up, but how can I do that if I never give you a chance to do it?" She smiled. "Now go and write your friends, and ask them how soon they can take you."

Overjoyed, I threw my arms around her in a bear hug, then dashed down the stairs and into my bedroom. I snatched the first bit of blank parchment I could find and scribbled a hasty note.

_Gin mum said I could come how soon can I arrive write back soon Love Forever Hermione. _

I was surprised at my haste; that wasn't even a proper sentence. I tied the message to my angry owl's leg. He tried to fly back into his cage, but I wasn't giving in on such an important letter. I could be just as stubborn as Ron if I tried. After I assured him it was the last flight I would send him on all summer, he allowed himself to be tossed out the open window, but not without a hard nip to my finger. Smiling broadly, I sat down on my bed and awaited Ginny's reply.

* * *

**Yes, here it is, the long-awaited update. Yay! I tried to make it a fair length, to make up for the delay. What do you think?**


	9. Reuniting

I checked over my trunk's contents for what I'm sure was the seventy-eighth time or worse. Everything I needed was there, plus a few "extra" things I'd bought in London while my parents weren't looking. I blushed, thinking of Ginny's reaction.

On an impulse, I picked up the portable stereo I'd gotten as a birthday gift from my parents. Normally I would have expected more books or something else with which to study, but the year my parents took me to France, I'd fallen totally in love with French pop music. Father'd bought the player and several of my favorite CDs, probably as an attempt to make me shift focus away from my studies…

* * *

"_Father never did think my devotion to schoolwork was very healthy." Hermione paused her quill's scratching, overcome with tears. "I'll never see them again, will I?" she asked the empty chamber. The stone walls gave no answer, save to echo her question back at her. She gazed upward at the enormous stone figure before her. "You tried to take her away once, but you failed. No, it took a mortal hand to accomplish what you could not. No matter. I'll join her soon enough." Salazar Slytherin gave no more answer than the empty walls, but simply continued to stare blindly into the blackness of the Chamber of Secrets, unchanged, save for the desk Hermione had conjured there._

_Hermione picked up her quill again and resumed writing. Their story was near its end._

* * *

Restless, I rattled around my room, wondering what was taking my owl so long to return. Perhaps Ginny had allowed it to rest, that sounded like something she'd do. She always had more patience with animals than I did. I couldn't keep waiting like this, I'd go mad. 

I had just started to cross to my bedroom door when I heard an urgent tapping at my window. My owl had returned! I sprinted to the window and yanked it open. The owl swooped about, skimming Crookshank's head before perching on my arm.

"You're in a better mood," I noted. "Ginny let you sleep didn't she?" I removed the slip of parchment from his leg and allowed him to glide back out into the night. The letter, however, was definitely not what I'd been expecting.

_Hermione,_

_Something terrible has happened. Come as soon as you can._

My euphoric mood dissipated within an instant. Something terrible? What could have happened? But that was not what worried me the most. The most frightenening thing by far was the letter itself. It wasn't Ginny's handwriting. "Something terrible" had happened to _her._


	10. Fear

In the car on my way to the Burrow, I twisted my fingers anxiously and reread Ginny's note over and over. What could have possibly happened? A Quidditch accident? That didn't seem likely. Ginny was always so careful. For an instant, the idea that we could have been found out crossed my mind, but I brushed it away. If the Weasleys had found out, and they were upset, why would they have asked me to come to the Burrow? They would want me as far from Ginny as they could manage. Nervous, I leaned forward in my seat to ask my father how long it would take to arrive.

When we finally pulled up, no one came out to greet me. No one was waiting inside, watching through the windows, ore flying in the back yard. What was going on?

"Have a good time, dear. I'd go in, but I fear that Mr. Weasley would talk off my ear again if he saw the car." I hoped my fearful expression looked convincingly enough like eagerness to see the Weasleys.

"I'll see you at Christmas," I squeaked, dragging my trunk behind me. The Burrow, which usually looked so inviting, was looming above me, looking frightening and imposing in its stillness. Slowly, I walked up to the door as I heard my parents drive away. I raised my hand to knock at the door, but it opened from the inside.

"Hermione," said a stony voice, cold as ice. Ron's voice, yet not.

"Ron, what's happened? Why is it so quiet?"

"Come inside," he said, his voice still not his own. "Put your trunk down here." He sat and gestured for me to do the same. I sank into the chair he offered, growing increasingly more apprehensive as this man who was not my friend acted so strangely.

"Hermione, Ginny didn't write you that last letter."

"I know; I didn't recognize the handwriting."

"It was mine," he said as if that explained everything.

"Oh," I said, still confused and frightened. "What's happened, Ron?"

"I wrote that note because I knew it would bring you here today. My parents and Ginny are at the twins' shop. They think I've got the flu, and when they come home, they'll think you just showed up out of nowhere."

"But what's going on? Why did you want me to get here so fast?"

"I know. I know about you and my _sister_." He hissed the last word, as if it were bitter and venomous.

"Ron, I…"

"Shut up!" he screamed, shaking. He paused for a second, composing himself. He spoke again in a deadly whisper. "No one else knows. I haven't told. Do you know why, Hermione?" he asked slowly, his gaze intensifying. I couldn't remember ever having been afraid of Ron before. I shook my head slowly.

"I didn't tell because it's over. There's nothing between you anymore. I don't want to see you touch her ever again. I don't want to see you _look_ at her in the wrong way ever again, do you understand me?" He was shaking again, more violently than before. "I won't let you do this to her." His hand twitched, and I realized he was holding his wand. His grip was so tight that his knuckles were drained of blood. "Do you understand me Hermione?" he asked, his tone making it clear that there was only one correct answer.

"Yes, Ron," I said in a quivering voice.

"Great. I'll show you to your room then," he said. The venom in his voice evaporated, and the cheery tone left behind was even more frightening.

"Hermione, you've arrived!" Mrs. Weasley's high, clear voice exclaimed as she swept in through the fireplace. "Arthur and Ginny will be here in a few moments dear, they had to turn back for something." I wanted to speak, but since my encounter with Ron, I lacked the capacity. I simply smiled. I heard Ron's footsteps approaching on the stairs behind me.

"Oh, Ronald, how are you feeling?"

"Fine, mum."

"I still think that you're just sore about visiting the twins because of what happened last time." Ron's face turned pink. I couldn't believe the change in him. I was almost beginning to wonder if I'd imagined his rage. Almost.

"Hermione, how long have you been here, dear? We only left an hour ago, you must have jus missed us." Damn my father for dawdling at the house! If I'd arrived only a bit sooner, they would have been here and I wouldn't be as frightened as I am now. Ron would have never had a chance to single me out and threaten me! Ginny stepped in from the fire at that moment, and watching her eyes light up upon seeing me almost made me forget that Ron seemed to have lost his mind.

"Hermione! When did you get here? Oh, I've missed you!" She ran towards me, hugging me fiercely. Over her shoulder, I caught Ron's fiery glare, and I loosened my grip on her. I pushed her away gently.

"It's good to see you, too," I said, trying my best to give her a look that said. "Not now, I'll explain when I can." She looked hurt and confused, but she nodded slightly, sensing that something was amiss. I did my best to clear my expression and turned to Mrs. Weasley, wearing as big a smile as I could muster. "Can I help you with dinner, Mrs. Weasley? I'm famished."

* * *

**So, hey! Where are all my reviewers? I appreciate the ones I've gotten, but seriously...**


	11. Running Away

That night, I waited for hours until I could hear Ron breathing heavily from upstairs. He wasn't snoring, I noticed, so I'd have to be extra quiet if I was going to make it all the way down to Ginny's room. I pulled my bathrobe on over my nightgown and crossed to the door on tiptoe. I reached for the doorknob, but before I could turn it, the door opened from the outside. I choked back a scream as Ginny silently shut the door behind her.

"Ginny!" I whispered. "You scared me!"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to," she apologized monotonously, gliding across the floor and seating herself on the bed across from the one I'd been pretending to sleep in. "Hermione, tell me what's going on. I know we agreed not to tell my parents, but you haven't even looked at me tonight."

"Ginny, I'm sorry," I sighed, sitting across from her. "Ron found out. I don't know how, but he did and he threatened to reveal us if I kept seeing you." I reached over to take her hands in mine, and looked into her eyes. "I don't know what to do, Ginny. What do we do?"

"Oh, Hermione," she breathed. "How could he… I… he must have found one of my letters to you or something! Oh, this is all my fault!"

"No, Ginny, don't say that!" I said, a little too loudly. Hushed, I said, "Ginny, you knew this would have to happen eventually. We could never have kept this up forever. Don't blame yourself."

"But, Hermione, I…" she crossed and sat next to me. "I don't want this, I…" she stopped crying abruptly. "I'm not afraid of him. He can't scare us." She stood up and started putting my things into my suitcase.

"Ginny, what are you doing? You… are you thinking of leaving?" She didn't pause, but she glanced at me while tossing jeans and socks in next to my books. "Ginny, we can't leave in the middle of the night!"

"Why not? I am so sick of them telling me what I can and can't do! This is my life, and I want to be with you!" She faltered. "You want to be with me too, don't you?" she asked, her eyes on the floor.

"Oh, Ginny, I… of course I do," I whispered, standing and putting my arms around her shoulders. She began to cry again. "I just… let's do it."

"What?" she asked, looking up at my through her hair.

"Let's get out of here. It's time to take control of our own lives." Ginny smiled, but then I felt her stiffen. "What is it?" I asked her. Then I heard it too. Footsteps. The door burst open for the second time that night. Ron stood there, framed in the doorway, quaking with rage the way he had earlier.

"What did I tell you?" he screamed. "I told you to stay away from her!"  
"It's not your choice, Ron!" Ginny screamed back at him. She stepped out of my embrace, advancing on her brother. "I've had my fill of you bossing me around! I'm fifteen years old, and I'm going to live my life the way I want to!" Ron faltered and tried to speak, but Ginny cut him off. "Don't you ever try to intimidate me or anyone else ever again! Ever!" I could hear Mr. and Mrs. Weasley coming down the stairs, drawn by the racket.

"Don't talk to me like that! I- I'm still your older brother, and I"—

"Older brother! You never did a thing for me!" She pulled her wand from a pocket of her bathrobe and aimed it at him. "You couldn't even save me from Riddle! You failed me then, and you've failed me my whole life! You're a failure! A failure! Failure! Failure! Failure! Failure!" She continued screaming, her voice growing hoarse, her body shaking so violently I half expected her to fall apart at the seams. Numbly, I turned my gaze to look at Ronald, and I felt my heart stop. He had his wand in his hand, gripping it with stone-white fingers, aiming it directly at Ginny's heart. For an instant, my mind blanked. I saw Ron's lips part, preparing a curse.

"No!"

"Expelliarmus!"

"Stupefy!"

"Arthur!"

My brain stopped. No thoughts crossed my consciousness. I didn't know who had used what incantations, or why Ron was unconscious. I was only aware of one thing: Ginny was no longer standing in front of me.


	12. Numb

"Ginny!" I screamed, tripping over Ron's limp form as I crossed the room to where Ginny had landed. The combined force of all the curses aimed at Ron and Ginny had thrown her across the room, where she'd slammed into the wall and shattered the window. Broken glass covered her, having caught in her hair and spiderwebbed her hands and face with tiny red cuts.

"Oh, God Arthur, what's happened?" Mrs. Weasley's voice sounded far away, oddly hollow, as though she wasn't really there.

"Ginny! Wake up, Ginny!" I was screaming, hysterical, shaking her again and again. "Ennervate!" I tried over and over again to revive her. It wasn't until the MediWizards pried her out of my hands that I even noticed the blood. It was everywhere, soaking my nightgown and covering my hands. Over and over again I screamed at anyone that could hear me. "Will she be okay? Can she hear me? Why is there so much blood?" No answers ever came.

* * *

"Mr. And Mrs. Weasley? Come with me please." I got up to follow. "I'm sorry, miss, but only fam-" 

"I'm coming." The Healer fell silent and led the way without another objection. I watched my bare feet rise and fall, sticking and unsticking from the cold tile floor. Ron had been revived before we'd left the house. It seemed as though we'd been waiting for years to hear about Ginny, but it had only been an hour or two. No one had spoken during that time. I was still wearing my soaked nightie, having refused several offers from nurses to clean it for me.

The Healer led us into a tiny office-like room, only a few doors away from the large waiting room we'd been in since our arrival. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley took seats in front of the desk, where the Healer seated himself. I remained standing in the corner. As far as I knew, Ron was in some other wing of the hospital, answering questions.

"Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, I know you've been kept waiting and-"

"Tell us what's going on! Tell us about Ginny, we've been out of our minds!" Mr. Weasley shouted. The Healer sighed, just barely.

"She's alive," the Healer stated simply. I heard Mrs. Wealsey begin to cry, relieved. "She's alive, but I'm afraid we've been unable to revive her. She's in a coma, and… well, frankly we don't know how long it will take for her to recover. She's suffered severe head trauma, and I suppose all I can tell you is that she's stable, comfortable, and that we're doing all that we can to bring her back as soon as we can." With this, the Healer sighed again and stood up. "I can take you to see her now, if you like."

The Weasleys stood and followed him out of the room. I felt myself do the same, my feet guiding me through the hallway behind them. I wish I could say I felt relief. Relief that Ginny was alive, anger that she was unconscious, rage at Ronald, remorse that I hadn't been able to keep quiet enough for Ron to have just slept through the night. But no. I felt nothing.

The Healer led us into Ginny's room, and then left us there at Molly's request, to check on the status of Ron. I couldn't move, it seemed. Every step that brought me closer to her took days, years, eons. By the time I'd reached her, Arthur was saying something I couldn't quite understand. Was he speaking English? "Maaaaybeee… owl… otherrrrrs…" was al I could grasp.

They left the room then, Mrs. Weasley pausing to put a hand on my shoulder on her way out. She said something. I didn't hear it. I was conscious of the door shutting after them. I reached out and touched Ginny's face. The tiny cuts had been mended, and she looked almost as though she were sleeping. But the was something there; or maybe it was something missing, I wasn't sure. She wasn't just sleeping.

I was quiet for a few minutes, just sitting there, holding her hand. "Hi Gin," I said finally. Talking felt reassuring somehow. Like I was reminding myself that she wasn't really gone. "Some night, huh? I guess we'll have to put running away on our list of things that we aren't so good at." I chuckled half-heartedly. "I brought some music to your house. I know you don't speak French, but I brought French music anyway. There's this one song…" I felt myself starting to cry. "It says 'I want just one last dance…'" I stopped. "I guess it's not the same is it?" I asked us both. As a tear started to roll down my cheek, I sang softly, "Je veux juste une derniere danse, avant l'ombre et l'indifference, la vertige puis le silence…" my voice began to break. "Je veux juste une derniere danse." I was crying freely now. "Ginny, come back, okay? I need you," I said, standing up and running from the room, dodging the twins on my way out.

I excused myself to the washroom, where I continued to sob for at least a quarter of an hour. The thoughts circling through my head were unbearable. What if she never got to hear that song? I shook my head, wiping my eyes on a paper towel. Of course she'd hear it. I'd picked it out just for her. She would recover, we'd return to school together, where Ron couldn't hurt us, and that would be our special song together. There was nothing to worry about.

I made my way back to Ginny's room, getting lost twice. Finally, I rounded a corner, sure I'd found it. What I saw made my knees give out. I sank to the floor, as the screaming of the alarms began and Healers scrambled into and out of Ginny's room, barking orders. And Ron's footsteps resounded through the hall, running away from the room as fast as he could, an expression of horror on his face.

What was going on? Why were all those Healers in Ginny's room? I dragged myself up, cling to the wall for support. I made my way to the Weasleys, all of whom were staring into Ginny's room, in various stages of panic as they tried to keep out of the way of the rushing Healers. "What happened?" I asked.

"It's Gin," George said. "Ron was talking to her, and the alarms went off. Hermione, I think she's stopped breathing." What? My brain was racing. Ron was... not breathing? How could- but then it all made sense. Ron running away, looking so... horrified. He must have...

Abruptly th alarms stopped blaring, and the silence filled me with dread. The Healer that had brought us there looked at us sadly, and the truth was written on his face. Mrs. Weasley broke down crying. The next thing I knew, my feet were taking me away; I was flying down the hall. My mind kept telling me over and over and over: he killed her... he killed her.. he killed her...


	13. Vengeance

I can't tell you how long I ran. I can't tell you when I realized that I was outside the hospital, racing barefoot through the dirty streets of London. I don't know when I fell, or who it was that brought me to the Leaky Cauldron, where I awoke the next afternoon with bandages on my feet. I don't know any of those things. I never asked.  
Mr. Weasley came into my room shortly after I awoke. "You're up! Molly was worried, even though the Healers told her it was only shock." His voice was stuffy, as if he were forcing himself to stay calm. "She's been worried enough that she hasn't had time to… grieve," he said, his false calm voice cracking as he excused himself.

Ronald. That bastard. He'd killed her, I knew he had. Why did he have to destroy something so beautiful? Just to get to me? _Well, Ron_, I thought to myself, _I hope you think it was worth it, because I'm going to take away your life just the way you did mine. My wonderful, beautiful girl. Dead, because of you._

Have you ever heard the expression "find something worth dying for, then live for it,"? I used to love that idea. And I did just that. Ginny was worth living for, she was worth dying for, and she would soon prove to be worth killing for. In the days spent at the Leaky Cauldron before our return to school, (Dumbledore advised that we return to normal in order to better cope) I planned out so very many versions of Ronald's untimely demise. The Healers had assured us that there was no way that her death could have been his fault, there was no evidence of assisted asphyxiation; her lungs had merely gone out, blah, blah, blah. I didn't care what they said. Ron's attack was responsible for Ginny's death, it was that simple.

I am not a violent person. Well, I suppose that _Hermione_ isn't a violent person. But in those days between Ginny's death and my planned assault on her killer, I was not Hermione. I had transcended my own pathetic self and become nothing but channeled hatred.

I didn't eat. I didn't sleep. I didn't pack. I think Molly was glad to have something to fuss over; it helped her put her grief aside, to be dealt with in small, manageable portions. I wish I were that lucky.

* * *

On the Hogwarts Express, Harry and Ron stayed together while I locked myself in the first empty compartment I came to. "Ronald will die tonight," I said aloud. I started at the sound of a knock at the compartment door. It was Luna.

"Um… Hermione? Can I come in for a minute?" I didn't feel like saying anything, but she seemed to take that as a 'yes'. "I know you must be really angry right now," she said. I was surprised; most people had just assumed I was silent because I was sad. I was far beyond sad. "I would be angry too," Luna continued. "I mean, you two loved each other." My head snapped up.

"How did you know about us?" I asked. Had Ron told? He hadn't been speaking the last I heard.

"I just… knew. It wasn't hard, I saw her looking at you. I'm actually surprised that no one else figured it out. But then, look who we're surrounded by." She gestured to the corridor, where two second-years were wrestling over something and had knocked down the trolley woman.

I kept looking at Luna. "Why are you here?" I asked her. "Are you here to pat me on the back, tell me everything's going to be okay in time? That Ginny's at peace? Or what, that she's been reincarnated as a salamander? Save it."

"No, I just-"

"Go away, Luna. You don't know. Just get out, I have stuff to do." She knew I was lying. She sat there, still, for what felt like hours. As the shadows grew and the train slowed, I realized that it really had been hours.

"Let's share a carriage," Luna suggested when the engine quieted. The first years clambered into boats as the prefects herded everyone around. I caught sight of Ron for a moment, staring at the empty place where the invisible thestral was standing. _He can see it now_, I remembered. _I hope it's terrifying_.

* * *

"Let us now take a moment of silence to remember our lost classmate," Dumbledore said, his voice echoing solemnly through the Great Hall. He was talking about Ginny again. "The accident that took her life has also taken a great deal of goodness from our halls, and she will be dearly missed…" Accident? _Accident?_

I felt my blood begin to surge through my veins. I felt like I was looking at myself from somewhere outside my body. I watched myself stand up and start screaming. I heard my voice shouting, but I don't really know what I said. I saw Ron stand and streak towards me, and the feel of his fist connecting with my cheek brought me back into my body with a harsh clarity. I fell to the floor and tasted blood.

"You stupid bitch!" he spat at me. "You should have stayed away from her when I told you to. You wouldn't listen to me! It's your fault she died! She's dead because of you!"

I didn't leave my body this time; I was perfectly conscious of what happened at that moment. I raised my wand, aimed it at the empty hole where Ron's heart should have been, and uttered two words. I felt my rage flow through my veins, rush into my fingers and leave me, flying from the tip of my wand in the form of flashing green light. The only sound that could be heard before Ronald Weasley's lifeless form hit the floor was that of my own resounding laughter.

* * *

**Sorry, guys, I didn't realize it had been so long! Here's an update, and the final chapter will be up in a week or two, I promise. Thanks!**


	14. Finding Peace

_Hermione could hear faint sounds now, the muffled echoes of shouts and pounding feet. 'They've found me,' she thought. 'I have to finish.'_

I ran, and I found myself here, in the depths of the Chamber of Secrets. I realize now that there are many unanswered questions. Why was the Chamber not sealed? Was the fact that I was able to enter it an indication that I have been a Parselmouth all this time and not known it? Sadly, I fear I will never discover the answers. They are upon me now, and I must leave you, my dearest, with this: I'm sorry that our time together was so short. I'm sorry that we couldn't run away together, and most of all I'm sorry that I couldn't protect you from that hatred of the world. Of all the things in the world, I wish that I had died in your place, and that you could still be here, to finish living the life that ignorance and intolerance cut short. Our love was forbidden, but it was there, and still is. I love you. Goodbye.

_The footsteps resounded outside the door, only a few moments away from entering the chamber and taking her away. She wondered who was coming. Had the staff and students risen to follow her? Or had Aurors been summoned to take her to Azkaban? "I wonder," she thought, "if the greater of my two crimes will be considered the murder or my having the audacity to love someone I wasn't allowed to love?"_

_She remembered the way Ron had died, with his rage etched forever on his face. Suddenly, she began to sob uncontrollably. She sank to the floor and lay there, convulsing with unchecked emotion until she became aware of unfamiliar faces watching her as the pummeled away at her shield charm, attempting to disable it. "Aurors", she thought to herself. Well, she would face them standing, with all the dignity she could manage.  
As Hermione shifted her weight to stand, she felt an odd shape digging into her thigh. She reached into her pocket and withdrew a small vial, which she had forgotten was there. A deep blue liquid sloshed around inside, the poison she had intended to give Ron that evening. "How odd that things are both different and the same from the way I planned them," she mused. _

_She then stood and faced the sea of faces, searching their eyes until she encountered a pair of bright blue ones. Dumbledore stood just outside the barrier, motionless, wearing the most deeply begrieved expression that Hermione had ever seen. She held his gaze for a single heartbeat before unstopping the vial and swallowing the contents. Seconds before they reached her, Hermione Granger sank to the floor, her blood already cold in her veins._

_"Keep back!" Dumbledore shouted. "Stay back from her!" He lowered himself to his knees and put out a hand to brush Hermione's hair from her face. Her eyes were focused far away, her pupils growing wide as her breathing slowed and grew shallow._

_"I can see her," she whispered. "She's… smiling."_

_"Go to her," Dumbledore implored softly. "She's waiting for you." Hermione smiled, closed her eyes, and died quietly; finally finding peace surrounded by hatred._

_Fin.

* * *

_

From "Derniere Danse" by Kyo  
Je veux juste une dernière danse...(I want just one last dance)  
Avant l'ombre et l'indifférence...(Before the shadow and indifference)  
Un vertige puis le silence ...(A dizziness before the silence)  
Je veux juste une dernière danse...(I want just one last dance) 


End file.
